Buffwhack Posted May 23, 2010 Share Any good advice : in which situations should the lock out be used? ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Posted May 23, 2010 Share It's a matter of personal preference and bike setup. Some people never use lockout but a general rule of thumb is to use it to minimize bop which normally result in wasted energy. A bopping effect is more prominent when pedaling hard e.g. uphill or standing. Having said that, most shocks have some build in technology to counter this. Generally the more expensive the shock the better this technology is. Something that also helps is to make sure your suspension is setup properly with correct sag, compression and damping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cat-i Posted May 23, 2010 Share when you notice 'bunches' being formed around you. like on boring bits like district roads, especially uphill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanbean Posted May 24, 2010 Share when you notice 'bunches' being formed around you. like on boring bits like district roads' date=' especially uphill.[/quote']on nice smooth uphills (OK thats relative), where the uphill is full of ruts and stones, its easier sometimes to leave your shock active, but it all comes down to personal preference, try it in training, and you will have a better idea of where it is suitable. What shock have you got by the way, I've an RP23, and leave it on the platform setting (Pro-pedal on) for most of my ride, only releasing it for very rough downhills, and stony and badly rutted uphills.deanbean2010-05-24 06:02:47 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techguy Posted May 25, 2010 Share why have suspension and then lock it out? do you lock out the suspension on your car/motorbike? I have just opened up a can of worms...the "power loss" is still there on cars and motorbikes so imagine how much more efficient the engines could be if we locked the suspension! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TitusTi Posted May 25, 2010 Share why have suspension and then lock it out? do you lock out the suspension on your car/motorbike? I have just opened up a can of worms...the "power loss" is still there on cars and motorbikes so imagine how much more efficient the engines could be if we locked the suspension! Amen brother. I have lockouts on my bike, I don't use it, it makes the bike ride like a hardtail, if I wanted that I'd buy a hardtail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Posted May 25, 2010 Share No but do you have pedals on your car or motorbike? This was one of the biggest issues in the 80` with shaftdrive where you had a lot of squat when accelerating (Z1300). Technology have since sorted this out. Also on a car/bike you do not have people going up and down as they press the accelerator. No real comparison besides the fact that all should bring you from A to B but transfer of power is totally different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndreZA Posted May 25, 2010 Share If you bounce up and down while pedaling you are pedaling wrong. You should pull on the upstroke while pushing on the downstroke. An keep your upper body still. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Posted May 25, 2010 Share If you bounce up and down while pedaling you are pedaling wrong. You should pull on the upstroke while pushing on the downstroke. An keep your upper body still. That is a given. Scrap your sole concept but this is not waht the question is about. The question is when does it make sense to use lockout. There is no right/wrong answer because everybody rides different bikes with different styles. Thus it's a matter of preference (clearly there are those that use it and those that don't), riding style and terrain. To compare a bicycle, car and motorbike make no sense. Basic suspension principles like sag, rebound and damping applies to all 2 wheeled things but this is where it stops. You cannot compare the pedaling motion to the accelerator push motion. Thus to say you don't have lockout on some so why on other is mute. Oh btw adjustable suspension (on the fly) to the point of almost locking out has been used in MotoGP for a few seasons. It's not suitable nor needed for normal road riding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndreZA Posted May 25, 2010 Share The question is when does it make sense to use lockout. The correct answer is on climbs on your first 5 rides after you bought the bike. After that that could not be bothered because you realise nobody is looking at you while you are fiddling with knobs, the bike's that it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headshot Posted May 25, 2010 Share So many variables - its very dependent on suspension design. My mono-pivot hardly bobs at all so lockout is really not necessary. Some other designs bob far more if you pedal hard and the shock platform (pro-pedal) is disturbed. Experiment and see what works for you. I'd try and use it as little as possible - maybe only on the real smooth stuff as suspension does aid traction and is more comfy and less tiring. You're pushing the extra weight so let it do its job! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techguy Posted May 25, 2010 Share The relation to cars and motorbikes is very relevant as the car/bike does squat when accelerating its one thing that designers take very seriously as it affects traction, which in turn affects acceleration. most bicycle designs are designed so that when accelerating the rear wheel digs in and creates more traction but still following the ground's profile so with the wheel locked out it bounces off the high spots and looses traction. So, (yes it is personal preferance/riding style), why ride a full suss and lock out the suspension? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muddy Posted May 25, 2010 Share The relation to cars and motorbikes is very relevant as the car/bike does squat when accelerating..... So' date=' (yes it is personal preferance/riding style), why ride a full suss and lock out the suspension?[/quote'] As i mentioned this happens to all vehicles but the way power is applied is not the same. Irrespective of whether you have 100% perfect pedalling style like Lance and mampara or not a bicycle is on-off-on-off... power to a motorized vehicle is applied much more smoothly. BTW I ride all three and have spend many years on track playing with suspension setups. Anyway if you don't lock out it cool, don't. I ride a fs and lock out because I can and because it annoy you and gives mampara something to look at even though he denies it. I also weight all my stuff, ask how much everything weighs and then don''t buy it etc. etc. Oh an yes I lock out, sommer altwee kante Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johan Bornman Posted May 25, 2010 Share The relation to cars and motorbikes is very relevant as the car/bike does squat when accelerating its one thing that designers take very seriously as it affects traction' date=' which in turn affects acceleration. most bicycle designs are designed so that when accelerating the rear wheel digs in and creates more traction but still following the ground's profile so with the wheel locked out it bounces off the high spots and looses traction. So, (yes it is personal preferance/riding style), why ride a full suss and lock out the suspension?[/quote'] I think the analogy is off kilter. Squatting under accelleration is completely different from bob during pedaling. Completely. Squatting under accelleration on a motorbike or car causes no power loss. It was mildly irritating on BeeEms but did not affect its accelleration. Bobbing whilst pedaling a bicycle produces lots of power loss. It messes with your rythm as well. I fail to see how a bike is designed so that the rear wheel digs in under accelleration. Rear wheel downforce is a function of the rider's weight and to an extent, the shift in weight caused by accelleration. However, we don't accellerate fast enough to cause any weight shift to the back, so that is moot. We do brake fast enough to cause the reverse though. A comparison of what happens when you brake hard and accellerate hard should make this clear to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyatt Earp Posted May 25, 2010 Share why have suspension and then lock it out? do you lock out the suspension on your car/motorbike? I have just opened up a can of worms...the "power loss" is still there on cars and motorbikes so imagine how much more efficient the engines could be if we locked the suspension! ? ? ? Amen brother. I have lockouts on my bike' date=' I don't use it, it makes the bike ride like a hardtail, if I wanted that I'd buy a hardtail. ? ? ? ?[/quote'] Second you both. I don't even know if my lockout levers are able to turn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
techguy Posted May 26, 2010 Share I'm gonna leave the debate there, as a motor mech and also worked on and tuned suspensions for race cars I like to think I learnt a couple of things. I have a full suss bike, and for those who argue that you loose power etc have obviously never ridden a full suss... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now